Improvement in reefing and furling sails



W. H. SPOONER. Reefing and Purling Sails.

No. 210,573. Pgtentd Dec. 3,1878.

WITNESSES ATTORNEY N.PETERS, FHOTO-LHHOGR APMER. WASHMGTON. 11C. 1

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' WILLIAM H. SPOONER, OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REEFING AND FURLING SAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,573, dated December3, 1878; application filed 1 November 20, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. H. SPooNnR, of Portsmouth, in the State ofVirginia, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Ships Sailsand Attachments; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of thesame, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of thisspecification, and to the letters and figures of reference markedthereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representa tion of the foremast of a ship,showing my invention and Figs. 2 and 3 are details.

This invention has relation to improvements in square-rigged vessels.

The object of the invention is principally to devise means whereby thedouble yards may be dispensed with, thus reducing the number of yardsfrom six to four without decreasing the spread of canvas usually carriedby fullrigged ships.

The nature of the invention consist in a certain novel construction ofthe sails, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

In the annexed drawing, the letter Adesignates a mast, composed, asusual, of a foremast, a, a foretop-mast, a, and a foretop-gallant androyal mast, a connected together by the usual caps and trestle-trees,and carryin g in the usual positions the foreyard B, the foretop-sailyard 13, the foretop-gallant yard B and the royal yard B O indicates theroyal, bent in theusual way to the yard B and having its lower edge orfoot out in angular form, as shown at b, Fig. l.

D indicates the top-gallant sail, composed of two sections, 0 d, the oneabove and the other below the top-gallant yard B The adjacent edges ofthe sections 0 d are bent in the usual manner to the yard B as shown inFig. 1. The section 0 is of triangular form, its base being bent to theyard B and its peak 6 extending up into the angular foot of the royal.

The foot of the top-gallant sail is also of angular form, as shown at f,the apex of the angle extending up into the body of the sail rather morethan half way.

E indicates the top-sail, also composed of two sections, 9 g, the upperone being of the form of a triangle, and extending up into and fillingthe angular space at the lower part of the topgallant sail, and thelower one of the usual form of a ships square sail. These sections arebent to the top-sail yard in the usual way.

The foresail F is bent to the foreyard in the usual manner, and does notdiffer in its form from that in common use. The peak of the section cofthe top-gallant sail is rigidly secured in any suitable manner to ahoop, l1, sliding freely on the top-gallant mast, and it is spread bymeans of the halyards G, and lowered upon the topgallant yard by meansof suitable down-hauls.

In taking in sail, the royal is drawn up to the royal yard by means ofthe usual clewlines H, and secured in the usual way.

The clews of the lower section of the topgallant sail are raised to itsyard by the clewlines h, and the sail secured. The upper section, 0, isthen lowered to its yard, filldllkGWlSG secured.

If still further reduction of sail is required, the upper section of thetop-sail may be lowered upon its yard B and its lower section clewed upand furled, leaving only the foresail spread. This may be also taken inby means of the cleW-lines j and furled, leaving only the bare poles.

As shown in Fig. 1, the apex of the angular lower portion of the royalreaches to, or nearly to, the royal-mast jack is, and the peak of theupper section of the top-gallant sail extends upward to said jack, thusclosing the interval between the royal and top-gallant yards completely.The angular lower part or foot of the lower section of the top-gallantsail has its apex on a level, or nearly so, with the topmasttrestle-trees t, and the upper section of the top-sail reaches from thetop-sail yard to said trees, thus closing the interval between thetop-gallant and top-sail yards. These sails, with the lower section ofthe top-sail and the foresail, comprise the equipment of each mast, andproduce a greater area or spread of canvas than can be had in the usualsquare rig now in use, where double yards are required, there being sixin all.

The jack and top-mast trestle trees are each provided with an upturnedhook, 1, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3,) over which is passed a strong eyelet,loop, or other equivalent device, a, secured to the foot of the royal atits angle, and to the lower section of the top-gallant sail in acorresponding position. The object of this construction is to hold thesaid sails against the mast, and, by keeping them from bellying out,maintain them in proper position relative to the top-gallant sail.

It will be observed that in shortening sail one of the sections of thetop-gallant sail and of the top-sail may he left standing, and the othertaken in. It will also be seen that, being in sect-ions, they are themore readily handled in heavy weather.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a mast, A, having the royal, topgallant,top-sail, and foreyards, B B B B, of the royal 0, having an angularlower edge, I), the sectional top-gallant sail D, above and below thetop-gallant yard, and bent thereto, the upper section being triangularand fitting into the angular lower part of the royal, and the lowersection having an angular lower edge, the top-sail E, formed in twosections, the upper being triangular and fitting into the angular loweredge of the top-gallant sail, and the lower square, and the foresail,substantially as specified.

2. A sectional top-gallant sail consisting of the triangular part c,bent to the top-gallant yard and above the same, and a part, d, alsobent thereto, having the angular foot f, and extending below the yard,substantially as specified.

3. A top-gallant sail bent to its yard and reaching above and below thesame, substantially as specified.

4. A sectional top-sail consisting of a triangular portion, g, above itsyard and a square portion below the same, in combination with atop-gallant sail, D, having an angular lower edge, designed to receivethe correspondinglyshaped part 9 of the top-sail, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination, with a royal-sail having an angular lower edge and aloop or eyelet, a, at the apex of said angular portion, of theroyal-mast jack, having a hook, I, designed to engage said loop oreyelet a, substantially as specified.

6. The combination, with a top-gallant sail having an angular loweredge, and provided at the apex of said angle with a loop, n, of thetop-mast trestle-trees t, having a hook, 1, designed to engage saidloop, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above 1 have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM HENRY SPOONER.

\Vi tnesses:

Tnos. J. HonDAY, J OHN J. EDMONDS.

